hahaha, I love this story.  My last class yesterday had one of 3 students in it.  2 of the students are managers and had to attend meetings, but rather than cancel the class they decided to just let student 3 have a conversational class for practice.  Sweet for me (no planning next week, its already done) and sweet for student (private class with no real stress).

And he told me the best story.  His grandfather had an export business that had most of the customers in Russia, and so he had a Russian legal translator.  The translators daughter was studying German in Moscow and apparently was rather brilliant at the language.  Her father arranged for her to spend a summer in Germany.  Do you think her professor was happy at this chain of events?  No way, He was completely appalled and begged her “to stay away from the Germans as they will destroy the purity of your beautiful German.”

I almost peed.

Yesterday we topped off the weekend with the best purchase so far this year. After spending Saturday deciding that it is to be the F650, we decided that since I wont be able to purchase my one true love until late March we would get a Simson Schwalbe restored for us. We went to check it out Sunday morning, and I am in love!!!!!!!

So now we just wait for the work to be done, and I should be terrorizing the streets of Stuttgart sometime in February!!!

I like it! A new Thursday tradition for anyone who participates in Wordless Wednesdays, the picture goes up on Wednesday, and we tell about it on Thursday. My WW is from this summer when we were visiting my partner’s family. I learned I am completely inept as a sailor. My partner is a German engineer and made up of equal parts of both. As such he loves to explain and even worse, teach. (I on the other hand am pure Arts flake, I believe in appreciating it for what it is, don’t ruin it please with science). Let me amend that a little, I’m also lazy. If I don’t know how to do it, and it involves physical labor to learn how, I probably don’t actually want to know either.

 

That did not stop him from Taking It Upon Himself to enlighten me on a beautiful summer day. He was not just going to sail me around Lake Constance and sweep me off my feet, leaving me with romantic images from our weekend in Switzerland forever. He had already done his sweeping. Now he found himself with a History Masters student who did not speak German in his apartment (and who did not appear to show any real signs or intentions of leaving). Romancing may be nice, but it proved inefficient. And so he set to work to teaching me how to sail. From what I remember it went something like “blah blah blarg warr blar, Are you even listening????” From there it went to “fine, at least steer.” This is where I found out that going straight is not so easy, and I raced towards any object that looked like it could hurt if we hit it.

 

Victory was mine however, I got to lean back and take in the view, and allowed him the task of begrudgingly wooing me. But as it happens I rather like my men cranky and complaining, it trains me in tuning out their voice when they try to teach me to do something that involves something that looks dangerously like physical labor.

I was tagged by Tom over at Flowers on A Friday for a meme that I have wanted to do since he first tagged me oh ummm a week ago. But it was also week 1 back to work! That is my excuse and I am sticking to it! so, the meme! (finally)

1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

(Only Im going to ignore 3 and 4 because I have tagged the people I feel wouldn’t mind being tagged already, and so if you want to run with the idea please do so! And if you are wondering about tagging me in the future, feel free!)

1. In just found out news, my parents are invading Europe!!!! This is exciting, is Germany big enough for 3 McCarthys??? In particular 2 biological ones? The last time that happened the Canadian military pulled out of Germany soon after. Coincidence? Hmmmmmmmmmmm

2. My future as a trained kickboxer was over it before it began. My father (who is a trained kickboxer) said he would teach us one move, and one move only, and if we did not use it on each other we could learn more, and maybe even go into lessons. I had no sooner been congratulated on my kick when I then whipped around to kick my little brothers throat. No more marital arts for any of us after that.

3. This however did not stop our ninja training however. Instead we would raid my fathers extensive movie collection, close the door to the rec room, and then reenact scenes - of particular aid to this was the couch, as you merely had to jump from its back and onto the cushion to get enough air to have a pretty awesome Bruce Lee flying drop kick to the face.

4 . This kept happening until after my father realized the door muffled the sounds of 3 children pretending to be ninjas to the point where it was not till a full out brawl had begun and we slamming each other against the door he would hear. (Running to a parent with an “owie” was not an option for the ninja clan McCarthy. You put up or shut up, hitting back harder to hide those tears).

5. To fix this problem my father’s solution was simple. He took down the door. To this day the family room in my parents basement has no door.

6. I never did grow up to be a ninja, but I perfected the art of the throat punch and dropkick anyway.

7. This is what happens when your the oldest with 2 younger brothers, not quite a full 2 and 3 years younger than you.

It is official, I am a wiener. Yesterday we went to the Suzuki dealership. All I ask is for an Enduro that is not built for people who are at least 5′8. I am 5′2 at a stretch. Even investing the money to get the bike dropped means I can stand on tippy toe. I know everyone tells me it is all in my head, that a) everyone drops their bike and b) with technique even short people can ride. Fair enough, I accept that. But this is not me going for a day trip, I plan on taking my life on that bike. Its going to be heavier than normal. I want to be able to put my feet down. Or at least ONE foot.  Which of course leaves me with the F 650. Full flat footed glory on a very pretty, very HEAVY bike. But my feet will touch! It is merely a matter of of getting into the proper shape to get that bike back up when I do drop it.

So last night I decided to start doing push ups. Only WTF - I REALLY was shocked at this. I cant even do one!!!! When did this happen???? I know that the glory of Swiss and German chocolate was one I indulged in with an unbounded decadence, and if I ever remember the person who first introduced me to mohnschneck, well they better run unless they want me to break their arms. But even at my laziest I still went to the gym once a week. Surely I can do a push up!!! Nope, only the kind done from the knees. And then I can swing 10. A full fledged proper push up is beyond my ability. My partner now fears me dropping the bike one too many times and witnessing me in a fit of rage and tears hacking the bike to pieces.

I have just decided to go to the gym everyday, and do push ups every night. Blaaaaaaaaaaa

Thirteen Things about My Life In 2007 Inspired by Raven’s Roads and Driftwood Dragon 1. January 2007: The year started where it ended - in Germany. I was in a German course, trying to get a job, but all the job offers required a VISA, and to get the visa I needed a job offer. It was a vicious cycle and it was frustrating me. As a pick me up I booked a flight to Rome for the weekend ( I love Europe) and then decided to go home and get the Visa.2. February 2007: Home in Newfoundland! I was home for a full week, got to see my family, friends, and my babies!!!Then I was off to Ontario to see my brother for the first time in 3 years (the last time I saw him was when I left for Japan, we were never in the same province again for a full 3 years.) More importantly I got to meet Sky J Baby doll. Who is awesome beyond awesome.3. March 2007: I took a job at a call center to make some money and keep me busy while waiting for my German visa to be processed. (I went through SWAP, it cost me a lot more money, but it was worth it not to have tear each shred of hair on my head). More importantly my heart was stolen forever and ever by Princess Sky J. This was also when I taught her to get off the couch head first. Whoops.4. April 2007: I decide dnot to return to Japan (I did toy with it, or went as far as to ask for contract) and booked my ticket back to Germany. The hardest part was leaving Skye J. Though I would not miss 7 am wake ups as she pushed my nose in and my brother set up his video console in my room (which happened to be the TV room as well), the rest of the day with her was wonderful. I still miss coming home at lunch time and having her whip her out her dummy and charge me waving her arms in the air. But the 28th of April I was on a plane back to Germany.5. May 2007: I brought with me the cold Canadian winter. The hottest spring in Germany plunged into freezing cold/wet Spring. I also begun the job hunt. Chain school hired me, however told me I missed (mandatory) training by days and I would have to wait 2 months before the next one. So I began to set myself up with privates and the groundwork for English coach was laid. May was also family motorcycle vacation time, and we spent it in the Italian alps.
6. June 2007: I decide to get my German motorcycle license, however I find out just how torturous a process it is. WITH my German car license, I still had to do 6 in class lessons (in German) plus over 15 lessons on the bike. The grand total was to come in at just under 2000 Euros, and at this point I was only working privates. At least I started the in class sessions.7. July 2007: Finally training with chain school arrived and by the end of the month I was working in full swing. English coach also took off and I found myself with more and more work. Finally I have the money to begin my on the bike time, but no time to do so. I had planned to drive myself on our Eastern Europe vacation, but it was starting to look more and more like I would not have the time. But I did get to visit Janine in Dortmund, wheeeeeee!

8. August 2007: My birthday! I finally went to Neuschwanstein! As much as I complained about chain school (and now that I am free from it I am overjoyed) but working this entire month on a regular basis was great. I finally had a steady cash flow of my own money again, and through chain school I got to meet some awesome people. My life was beginning to look like mine again as opposed to being defined by my partner.

9. September 2007: I admit defeat and accept I am a pillion for trip to the Ukraine, we hit Slovakia, the Ukraine, Romania, and Hungary. It was exactly what I needed, a nice break, and at one point I even found myself missing Germany! (This happened in Romania where all the restaurants were in fact bars wihtout food. I LOVE food, and I began to crave the bakeries of my new found Swabian home!!)

10. October 2007: Back in Stuttgart and I have a new job with a new school by the end of the month. good by chain school, and now I work with a local school (that cares about the quality of training offered as opposed to how many Euros they can squeeze out of the students) and my own private coaching has also taken off. But the sad thing is that my on the bike lessons are canceled, as my school only offers them March - October. In Canada it is so much easier to get the license!!

11. November 2007: Early Christmas in the Dominican Republic with my parents!!! And all the more reason I love my job, freelancing means you don’t need permission to take time off, or a set amount of holidays. Sweeeeeeeeet. (This works well for a gypsy princess like myself)

12. December 2007: Poland was canceled because I came down with the flu from hell (which then created that cold sore Christmas dinner conversation problem). Planning for our big trip through Africa kicked into high gear, with the agreement that planning is planning and maybe we end up heading in a different direction.

13. And so that was my last year. I can not believe how fast it flew by! Being busy means good or bad time is not going by slowly. If that is good or I cant decide. But I hit 10 countries, so at least my Gypsy ways are not threatened by me staying in the same country for a year or more.

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